The present invention concerns a process and an apparatus for producing laminate labels.
In practice laminate labels have been produced by a procedure in which a supporting material web with an endless label web arranged thereon is fed to a laminate film deposit or application station in which the transparent laminate film or foil web is applied to the supporting material web in such a way that the label web is received sandwich-like between the supporting material web and the laminate film web. As the side of the laminate film web which faces the supporting material web is provided with an adhesive coating, the laminate film then sticks to the supporting material. Thereupon the laminate label web consisting of the laminate film web, the label web and the supporting material web is fed to a separating station in the form of a stamping station in which individual labels are cut out of the laminate label web by means of a rotating stamping cylinder. For that purpose, at its peripheral wall, the stamping cylinder has at least one blade contour corresponding to the shape or contour of the actual label.
That operating procedure in the state of the art has proven to be disadvantageous insofar as different stamping cylinders have to be used for different label sizes and for different label shapes or contours. As stamping cylinders of that kind are comparatively costly to produce, the costs involved in an apparatus for producing laminate labels are increased. Furthermore, changing from one kind of label to a kind of label that differs therefrom in regard to size and/or shape involves a considerable assembly expenditure.
In addition the known laminate labels produced in that way suffer from the disadvantage that dirt and/or moisture can penetrate between the actual label and the laminate film or sheet, by way of the edge of the labels applied to the article to be labeled, as the laminate film terminates flush with the label material at the edge. If laminate labels of that kind are used, for example, in machines and the like in a dirty and/or humid atmosphere, then they can become illegible or detached from the machine.
GB-A-2 274 268 discloses a process and an apparatus of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification. In the known process, after the laminate film web has been applied to the supporting material web which is already provided with the labels, the laminate label web produced in that way is fed to a stamping station in which individual labels are stamped out of the laminate label web. In that case however the supporting material web is not stamped therethrough so that the stamped-out laminate labels remain on the supporting material web which moves on continuously. After the stamping-out station, the rest of the laminate film web is pulled off the laminate labels and the supporting material web and wound on to a roll which is provided separately for that purpose.
In addition EP-A-0 212 219 discloses a process for producing labels and the labels themselves. That known production process provides for applying to the supporting material web is provided with an adhesive layer on one side, individual folded sheets of paper which adhere to the supporting material web as a result of the adhesive layer provided thereon. Then, applied to the supporting material web and the individual labels disposed thereon is a laminate film web, the width of which corresponds to the width of the supporting material web.
An object of the present invention is to provide a process and an apparatus for producing laminate labels with which laminate labels that differ in terms of shape and size can be produced in a simple fashion.
In regard to the process the foregoing object is attained by the features of claim 1. In contrast to the state of the art in which a laminate label is stamped in a single step out of the laminate label web consisting of the laminate film web, the label web and the supporting material web, the process according to the invention provides that in a first step the labels are arranged individually on the supporting material web, while maintaining intermediate spaces between the labels in the longitudinal direction of the supporting material web. Thereupon, in a second step, after the preferably transparent laminate film, which also preferably has an adhesive coating on its side facing towards the supporting material web, has been applied to the supporting material web, an individual segment of the laminate label web formed in that way is separated off by means of a cut which extends substantially transversely with respect to the direction of advance movement of the label web. Then, the actual label is obtained from that segment of the laminate label web by pulling the supporting material off the label and the laminate film.
That operating procedure has the advantage that there is no need to have different stamping or cutting tools for different labels. On the contrary, the supporting material web, which is preferably wound up to form a roll, can be xe2x80x98equippedxe2x80x99 with labels of the appropriate shape and size, in the first step. That first step can in principle be implemented in the apparatus for producing the laminate label itself. It is however also possible for that first step to be implemented in a label-equipping apparatus which is specifically provided for that purpose and which is arranged separately from the apparatus for producing the laminate label, which apparatus includes the laminate film deposit station and the separating station. As the supporting material web is frequently not produced by the user of the production apparatus for the laminate labels, the user of the apparatus only has to provide rolls with labels which differ in terms of size and shape, and keep such rolls on hand in order to be able to produce different labels. Furthermore, upon a change from one type of label to another type of label which differs in terms of shape and size, there is no need for an assembly operation for replacing any tools, as is the case in the state of the art in regard to the stamping cylinder, but it is only necessary to fit the roll of the backing material web with the other labels into the production apparatus. In addition, the present method reduces the stoppage times of the production apparatus, as complicated dismantling and assembly procedures for the stamping cylinder are no longer required, but, as already indicated above, it is only necessary to replace the supporting material web or the roll thereof.
In principle it is possible for the cut for separating the individual segments of the laminate label web to be implemented precisely along the two edges of the label, which extend substantially transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent of the supporting material web. In that case, two cuts are necessary to separate an individual segment of the laminate label web, which cuts have to be formed in the respective intermediate space. If, in contrast, only a single cut is produced, preferably in approximately the center between two successive labels in the intermediate space, then the number of cuts required to produce a segment or a laminate label is reduced. Moreover, the laminate film projects beyond the label at least at those two edges. That projecting portion can be used not only to attach the laminate label better to the article to be labeled therewith, but also, as the film adheres sealingly to the article, to prevent the ingress of dirt and/or moisture between the laminate film and the label.
In order to increase the adhesion of the label to the article to be labeled, it can further be provided that, on the side facing towards the-backing material, the label is provided with an adhesive or glue coating which is of such a nature that the label is fixed on the backing material, but can be readily detached from the backing material. So that the laminate film and the label which is preferably provided with an adhesive coating can be readily detached from the backing material when releasing a label from a label segment, it can further be provided that the backing material is provided with an anti-adhesion coating, preferably a silicone coating. In that arrangement that anti-adhesion coating should be of such a nature that the laminate film and the label adhere to a certain degree to the backing material, but upon detachment no constituents of the backing material remain adhering to the laminate film and/or the label.
If the labels are arranged on the supporting material web asymmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof, that affords a gripping edge which makes it easier to detach an individual laminate label from a segment of the laminate label web, which is produced by the separating station, and to apply the laminate label to the article to be labeled therewith. In particular the laminate label is not damaged thereby and/or the adhesive coating of the laminate foil or the label is not rendered useless by contact with, for example, the hand.
If in that case a laminate film web is applied to the supporting material web provided with the individual labels, the width of which (that is to say the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the supporting material web or the laminate film web in the plane of the web) is less than the width of the supporting material web, that makes it possible to achieve a saving in material in regard to the laminate film as, for example, an existing gripping edge on the supporting material web does not need to be covered over by the laminate film.
In order to facilitate detachment of a laminate label from the supporting material web, the supporting material web can be provided with a stamped-out portion, in the region of the label. In order to be able to apply a laminate label to an article to be labeled therewith, the stamped-out portion is first pulled off the laminate label web and then the remaining supporting material.
In order to facilitate detachment of the stamped-out portion, it can further be provided that the label is provided with a perforation which extends approximately in the longitudinal direction of the supporting material web and which is arranged in the region of an edge.
It has proven to be advantageous for controlling the separating station for the labels to be arranged on the supporting material web with intermediate spaces of equal size therebetween.
The laminate film web can simply be laid on the supporting material web. In order to achieve particularly good adhesion of the laminate film web to the supporting material web, it has further proven to be advantageous for the laminate film web to be rolled on to the supporting material web in the laminate foil deposit or application station.
Particularly flexible use of the process according to the invention can be achieved if the labels which are arranged on the supporting material web are printed upon, prior to being fed to the laminate film deposit or application station, preferably in the apparatus for producing the laminate labels.
In regard to the apparatus, the foregoing object is attained by the features of claim 9. By virtue of the provision of a cutting device which produces a severing cut extending substantially transversely with respect to the direction of advance movement of the label web, the apparatus according to the invention does not require a stamping cylinder which is to be adapted to the respective label. This means therefore that the production apparatus according to the invention does not involve any dismantling and assembly procedures and cost for such cylinders.
The cutting device can be formed by the most widely varying arrangements. Preferably, the cutting device has at least one blade which is movable reversibly perpendicularly to the surface extent of the label web and which can be arranged at the top side or the underside of the label web. That blade co-operates with a counterpart blade which is optionally also movable and which is then arranged either at the underside or the top side, respectively, of the label web.
In order to be able to individually print the labels according to the respective wishes of the individual user of the production apparatus, it can further be provided that a printing station having one or more printing heads is disposed upstream of the laminate film deposit station in the feed direction of the supporting material web.
In order to be able to apply the laminate film web to the supporting material web in a bubble-free manner and in such a way that it is held firmly thereto, it can further be provided that the laminate film deposit station has one or more pressure rollers which extend substantially over the width of the laminate film web.
As has already been pointed out, the laminate film edge which projects beyond the supporting material of the finished label prevents the ingress of dirt and/or moisture between the laminate film and the label. At the same time, the projecting edge portion of the laminate film can be used to apply the label to the article to be labeled therewith. Moreover, that affords the possibility that no additional adhesive or glue layer has to be applied to the side of the label which faces away from the laminate film. If an adhesive or glue layer of that kind is provided at the side of the label which faces away from the laminate film then the projecting edge portion of the laminate film serves at the same time as additional protection against unauthorized detachment of the label from the article to be labeled therewith. As the label itself adheres to the articles, parts of the layer of the label which carry the printing applied thereto are also detached when the laminate film is pulled off the adhering label. In contrast to known laminate labels in which the laminate film terminates at the edge of the label flush therewith, the present label can be removed by being pulled off at the adhesive side without damage.